Avalon Hills Blog

Millions of Americans suffer from eating disorders, known as anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, binge eating disorder, and eating disorders not otherwise specified (EDNOS). An estimated 90% + are adolescent and young women, though men and adults suffer from eating disorders as well. Eating disorders have serious mental and physical health consequences including death. In fact anorexia has the highest mortality rate of any mental illness. (http://www.eatingdisorderscoalition.org/documents/TalkingpointsEatingDisordersFactSheet.pdf)

A Quick Look at Eating Disorders

Eating Disorders refer to a group of conditions defined by abnormal eating habits that may involve either insufficient or excessive food intake to the detriment of an individual’s physical and mental health. Bulimia nervosa, anorexia nervosa, and binge eating disorder are the most common specific forms in the United States.

Anorexia nervosa. This eating disorder is characterized by a person’s refusal to maintain a healthy body weight and often co-occurs with a fear of gaining weight.

Bulimia nervosa. This is often marked by bingeing and then trying to get rid of the food by taking laxatives or inducing vomiting.

Complications by disorder-

Eating disorders have a serious effect on one’s health and wellbeing.  The risk of death for anorexia and bulimia patients can be significant.

Anorexia complications. Among eating disorders, anorexia has many serious effects which may result in death. The death risks are even more pronounced for people who are: young, prone to sickness within the last 6 years or so, already low in weight at the time of the anorexia treatment, and those who also engage in behaviors such as purging, and also have a severe psychological or co-occuring disorder.

Some effects of anorexia include; hormonal changes that result in the absence of menstruation (in females), bone loss or osteoporosis, loss of muscle mass and in some, infertility.

Anorexia is also closely linked with heart problems, such as; slowness of the heartbeat- leading to the starvation of heart muscles. Those who have anorexia are also prone to depression, substance abuse and even suicide. One of the other effects of anorexia is an imbalance of the key minerals and electrolytes needed in the body. In anorexia, these electrolyte imbalance often results in organ failure.

Other complications linked with anorexia may include; constipation, bloating, sensitivity to temperatures, hair loss and fine body hair growth.

Bulimia complications. Bulimia also has serious complications, many of which are life-threatening. Complications include problems with digestion (often causing or from developing a dependence on laxatives ), stomach distress, abdominal bloating, acute tooth decay, irregularity or absence of menstruation and heart problems (including heart failure and irregular heartbeat).

Frequent vomiting can cause the rupture of the esophagus. Excessive exercise, laxative abuse or vomiting may also result in severely low levels of potassium that can result in weakness, even to the point of paralysis. Bulimia has been known to cause erratic heart rhythms that can often be fatal.

Bulimia also has psychological complications that lead to self-destructive behavior such as substance abuse or alcohol abuse, as well as impulsive and self-injurious behaviors.

Prompt Action towards Wellness

Due to the complications and severities of these disorders, eating disorders should be taken seriously and prompt action towards the treatment of eating disorders.  This is necessary before things  become more serious or life threatening. Often, eating disorders are linked to deep-rooted psychological issues and these must be addressed to properly to provide  treatment for bulimia, treatment for anorexia and other eating disorder treatment.

Avalon Hills is an eating disorder treatment center that provides a holistic approach towards these eating problems, not just aiming towards treating the symptoms of the disorder, but also the deep-rooted issues that lie behind these. Avalon Hills provides a wealth of experience, information and insights into these complex disorders.

Our program for anorexia and bulimia treatment has a program based on the individual’s needs.  The treatment program provides a combination of animal assisted therapy, psychotherapy and other experiential therapies, the program aims to provide the patient with the skills in order to manage and cope with the stress and underlying factors that contributed to their eating disorders.

Given the serious health risks and complications of eating disorders those dealing with these disorders should act promptly and seek eating disorder treatment.

More and more men are talking about eating disorders and their struggle with them. Many of these men are also seeking eating disorder treatment for themselves. In the past, eating disorders have been previously and commonly attributed to affecting women. Although the numbers of males with eating disorders are lower than that of the females’, it is still noteworthy that the increasing figures for men are on the rise.

In Britain, somewhere around 1.6 million people are said to be suffering from an eating disorder, one out of every five of such people are male. This is according to Beat, a British organization dedicated towards helping those with eating disorders.  In addition, hospitals in the country have also reported a rise in the number of men being admitted to the hospital for eating disorders within the past 10 years.

We recognize that these are just figures and they may be very under or even over reported. What it does tell us though is that men talking about eating disorders are not as taboo as it once was. Previously, men rarely even talked about the existence of the problem, much less admit to the problem and go for treatment for the eating disorder. As a result, few of those with eating disorders are properly diagnosed and even treated.

One important step towards properly recognizing the existence of the eating disorder among men is to train and equip doctors to also recognize the symptoms of eating disorders in men.

Avalon Hills and Treatment

Avalon Hills is an eating disorder treatment center that concentrates on providing a residential treatment to help those with eating disorders. Although, we do not treat men as a part of our program, we recognize the importance of men getting appropriate eating disorder treatment also. We would be happy to provide resources and referrals for those seeking treatment.

There is a saying that says that “having children is like having your heart permanently pinned on your sleeve”. There are many things that can cause parents to fear for their children, particularly when the children are reaching the teenage years and certain stages of development. Unfortunately, more and more parents are seeing their children afflicted with an eating disorder – which range from anorexia nervosa to bulimia to binge eating.

With all the pressures that your child may face, whether it is peers, media, siblings, the stresses of being a teenager and other genetic factors that are out of your control, it is frightening to recognize that he or she may be susceptible to an eating disorder. Eating disorders can strike any family, regardless of race, socioeconomic class or group, faith, ethnicity or culture. There is a rise in the prevalence of these illnesses in males as well.

Eating disorders pose serious health risks. These illnesses promote unhealthy behaviors that can have serious physical implications, particularly among teens. For instance, anorexia nervosa can result in malnutrition and bone loss, which can ones growth and development.

When signs and symptoms are present, parents seek eating disorder treatment to help their child or loved one.

Here are some signs that indicate the need to get eating disorder help:

- An obsession with being “thin”

- A compulsion to count calories and/or nutritional content of the food they are eating

- Weight loss that may be sudden or extreme

- Lack of appetite

- Keeping away from social occasions where food is involved, or isolating in other situations

- Bouts of dieting or consistent dieting

- Going to the bathroom during or after meals

- Spending a long time in the bathroom after meals

- Rarely admits he or she is hungry or alternatively, always hungry and eating but never gaining weight

- For bulimics, scrapes, scratches or calluses in the hand caused by inducing vomiting

- Redness of the eyes caused by broken blood vessels

- Food missing from the pantry or the refrigerator. This can also be marked by the child’s tendency to hoard or hide food in unlikely places.

- For girls, the absence of or irregular menstruation

- Frequent upset stomach

- Problems sleeping

- Bloating in the face and swollen hands or feet

- Yellowish skin

- Skin that is dry and hair that is thinning, dry or brittle

- Severe teeth problems

Promoting a healthy body image

Parents don’t generally cause eating disorders but you can watch for the symptoms as well as understand the importance of promoting a healthy body image. One important step is for parents to model healthy eating habits and behavior. Parents should avoid showing their children that they themselves are pre-occupied with their weight and appearance. Parents should also develop a healthy, loving relationship with their children and encourage open communication.

Here are other tips to help promote a good body image:

- Limit the use food as part of your discipline strategy. Food should not always be used to punish or reward a child for his or her behavior.

- Encourage exercise, but emphasize that it is for health purposes and because exercise is fun. Don’t encourage your child to exercise because he or she “needs to lose weight”.

- Limit unnecessary or extravagant compliments that are based on the child’s appearance. This may promote a value system that puts a premium exclusively on appearance and not on other aspects of a child’s personality. Focus instead on character qualities, such as friendliness, honesty, diligence or kindness.

- Focus on what your child does well – if he or she excels in a certain area or has a particular talent.

- Be alert for signs of an eating disorder.

- Educate your child about the negative health effects of an eating disorder

- Gently ask open questions without making your child feel that he or she is being judged.

Getting Help for Eating Disorders

Parents can also get treatment for anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other eating disorders. If you see your child exhibiting signs of an eating disorder, it is best to have him or her evaluated so a diagnosis can be made. That way, your child can find help or find a  treatment program for an eating disorder.

Avalon Hills may be an option to get the treatment that your child needs. Avalon Hills is an eating disorder treatment center that provides a wealth of experiences that are aimed towards developing healthy behaviors and thinking that helps in overcoming the behaviors that are a part of the eating disorders.

Avalon Hills provides crucial help for anorexia nervosa, bulimia and other eating disorders. Some elements of the treatment program include individual and group psychotherapy, nutritional assessment and consultations, animal assisted therapy, psycho-educational classes, medical components and more.

At first glance, athletes that need eating disorder help don’t seem to mix.  Being active is a healthy choice that usually encourages a healthy diet.  However, there are athletes that can develop an eating disorder.  This type of eating disorder can be a little different from an eating disorder caused by other circumstances.

Quite a few athletes that develop an eating disorder do it to meet a specific requirement.  There are some sports that actually have a desired weight, such as ballet.  This is a common example because many ballerinas have been struggling with eating disorders for a while and have needed anorexia treatment.  It’s a serious pursuit that requires a petite body type in order to do certain moves.  Some people, men and women, are so driven that they start to starve their bodies to lose weight to get the ideal body type.

Not all athletes that develop an eating disorder participate in stereotypically female sports.  For instance, wrestlers may wind up developing an eating disorder.  This can be common because wrestling pays close attention to the weight of a participant.  Each wrestler is put in a weight class that they usually need to stay in.  If a wrestler is outside of that class they may be disqualified.

In order to stay within a weight class, a wrestler may go to extremes to shed pounds.  One way to do this is to not eat.  They may eat very little or not at all the day before the match.  Some wrestlers focus more on shedding water weight.  This can include wearing more layers than necessary.  Wearing these layers helps the person sweat a lot in order to lose water weight fast.  They will sit in a sauna fully clothed in sweats.  Wrestlers may even spit a lot to also shed some water weight.  Sometimes a wrestler will actually need to gain weight to stay in their class.  This can be a bit trickier than losing the weight.  Sometimes a wrestler will actually binge eat to gain weight quickly.  Both the behaviors to lose weight and gain weight put wrestlers at risk for seeking eating disorder treatment.

Going to extremes to achieve a specific weight can seriously harm the body.  Drastic weight changes can even damage the metabolism, which will affect a person’s ability to maintain a healthy weight later in life.  If any sort of purging is involved for losing weight it can create an imbalance in the body.  Repeating any of the behaviors can quickly cause an eating disorder because it becomes part of the person’s life.

If an eating disorder does develop it’s important to get help as soon as possible.  Seeing a professional will help a person change the habits and overcome the cause of the eating disorder.  An excellent eating disorder treatment program option is to visit a treatment clinic, such as Avalon Hills.

One of the most effective ways to receive help is through a one-on-one treatment program.  This type of treatment is focused on the one person in order to meet their specific needs.  As the treatment continues, a person will probably participate in group treatment.  A combination of these treatment styles is also effective.  The most important thing is for a person to get help if they’re suffering from an eating disorder.

Eating disorders can be very difficult to treat because they are so different from other illnesses.  Since they combine the mental and the physical it’s hard to know which one to treat.  Many people want to only treat the physical, but this won’t be successful.  Sometimes people want to use medication to help, but studies have shown that this may not be the best way to go.

Most medications have no proof that they will help as an eating disorder treatment.  For example, serotonin uptake inhibitors are often used to treat anorexia.  According to professionals, there isn’t any solid evidence to prove that this medication will help a person who is severely underweight gain or maintain healthy weight.

Certain medications can help a person move toward recovery.  A typical antipsychotic medication can sometimes show positive results as an anorexia treatment.  One study took a group with 16 people who had anorexia and gave them the medication with a control group taking a placebo.  By the end of the study the people taking the real medication were at the desired BMI.  However, these same people were also participating in an outpatient therapy program.  This makes it impossible to tell if the medication or the therapy really helped the participants.

Therapy, however, can provide evidence that it can help a person recover from an eating disorder.  For anorexia, family therapy has proven to be an effective mode of treatment.  During therapy the family is taught how to help the person that is suffering from anorexia.  It’s also beneficial for the person to be able to communicate with their family about the disorder.

A recent study discovered that about half of the people that participated in family therapy were at a normal weight at the end of treatment.  These same people maintained their weight until their follow up a year later.  A percentage of these people even completely recovered from anorexia.

Cognitive-behavioral therapy is a good component of bulimia treatment.  After 12 to 16 weeks of the therapy, about 60 – 75% of participants have a significant reduction in symptoms.  This is very important because these results are more likely to last than any results that come from taking a medication.  Many people have symptoms return after trying to use a medication.

There are several ways to get help when it comes to eating disorders.  One of the best ways is to go to an eating disorder clinic.  These clinics have professionals that can help a person who is struggling with an eating disorder.  In patient clinics, such as Avalon Hills, often allow you to look at their eating disorder treatment program before actually going to the clinic.  This will help you choose the clinic that’s the perfect fit.

Life is delicate and many of us who have brutal trials in our lives are effected by such books that feel like we have lived through what it’s talking about. One in particular that captivates its readers is an actress/writer Portia De Rossi.  She writes a book “Unbearable Lightness” that explains throughout her life she has struggled with social pressures that have caused her to have an eating disorder.

Eating disorders are a misuse of the eating to deal with problems in the reality of living as they see it.  What makes this interesting is that more and more woman are struggling with this constant social pressure; that woman think and act as if they are not good enough for society to look at and inside cry out that they need anorexia help.

Now this is just one situation where anxiety has pushed Portia De Rossi to almost be a casualty in this illness that seems to attack more and more girls each year.  The hard thing is that the situation acquires much more attention and needs that can’t be fulfilled in their regular lifestyle.  Why? How so?  Well in any case, the more one is a custom to a habit or a way of thinking it is hard to break change.

While people with anorexia or bulimia often deny having a problem, the truth is that any eating disorder is a serious and potentially deadly to those who suffer with it. However, recovery is possible. With a proper eating disorder treatment program and support, you or someone you care about can break anorexia’s self-destructive pattern and regain health and self-confidence.

Change is a process that may take you or someone you love many months to years depending on how they are helped and if a loved one can help recognize that there family member is ill and needs eating disorder help.  This condition is to be taken very delicately, truthfully it always starts with a question, and does my daughter really need this?  Is it really a problem? Can I handle this situation, why would I need to ask for help?  Sometimes it’s hard to take into consideration that this illness isn’t cured right away and may take someone many years with someone of experience to help with treatment for anorexia or bulimia.

To get the best treatment and prevent further damage, there are programs which main purpose is to restore and maintain a healthy mind and body to overcome an eating disorder.  Avalon Hills is a credited eating disorder treatment center that treats eating disorders.  The facility is located in Utah and gives its patients a breathtaking advantage to the importance of their own lives.  They take adolescent girls from eleven and up, who can go there for their eating disorder and get help to be treated in changing the way they view their bodies and their surroundings.

It’s always hard to prevent things from coming at us whether it is a drizzle or a hail storm.  Some events can take a toll on us and seeking help always seems out of range.  Take it from Portia De Rossi “It’s a hard struggle but never give up.”  There are ways to get help with insurance and scholarships to support those in need.

Athletes that need eating disorder help is something that we are hearing about more and more in the eating disorder treatment field.  Athletes with eating disorders are often hard to diagnose due to the lifestyle that athletes have. The benefits of exercise make it hard to challenge someone (an athlete) that may be involved in a high level of activity. However, athletes with eating disorders are common and coaches and family members are encouraged to watch for obsessive behaviors and to understand over exercising so that they can help those that may need eating disorder help.

Athletes that develop an eating disorder may have started this as they were trying to meet a specific requirement or goal.  There are some sports that actually have a desired weight, such as ballet or wrestling.  This is an easy example because many ballerinas have been known to struggling with eating disorders and have needed anorexia treatment or bulimia treatment. It shouldn’t be taken lightly when someone begins to pursue a specific body type in order to become “better” at their sport.  All too often, men and women are so driven that they start to restrict intake to their bodies to lose weight to get what they consider the ideal body type.

Not all athletes that develop an eating disorder participate in stereotypically female sports. As mentioned before, wrestlers often develop eating disorder behaviors as a result of the weight restrictions on the sport.  Wrestlers have an enormous amount of pressure due to the weight classes they need to fit in so that they are not disqualified.

Athletes often go to extremes to shed pounds or control weight.  This is commonly done by athletes restricting their intake.  They may eat very little or not at all the day before the match.  Some wrestlers focus more on shedding water weight by exercise or sweating a lot.    Sometimes a wrestler will actually need to gain weight to stay in their class. Often athletes such as wrestlers will actually binge eat to gain weight quickly.  Both the behaviors to lose weight and gain weight put these athletes at risk for eating behaviors that could lead to the need for eating disorder treatment.

Most importantly, going to these extremes can seriously harm the body.  Drastic weight changes can damage the metabolism, which will affect a person’s ability to maintain a healthy weight later in life.  If any sort of purging is involved for losing weight it can create an imbalance in the body.  Repeating any of the behaviors can quickly cause an eating disorder because it becomes part of the person’s life when they are dependent on the behaviors.

Avalon Hills is a great eating disorder treatment program that believes in a healthy lifestyle, to include exercise that is done in a noncompulsive way.

Here is a helpful link for athletes, coaches or family members looking for tips to share with athletes or those involved in exercise.

http://www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedaDir/files/documents/handouts/Athletes.pdf

A recent study that was published in the American Journal of Psychiatry found results that discussed the idea of various the methods of therapy for eating disorders.  It found that people who have different eating disorders may exhibit different brain activity patterns.

These different patterns actually related to aspects of a person’s eating disorder behaviors.  A person seeking anorexia treatment showed that the person often shows anxious and inhibited behaviors.  On the other hand, a person needing bulimia help was often determined to be more risk-seeing and impulsive.  This also matches up with the compulsion nature of bingeing.

This study contained a sample of subjects with differing eating disorder diagnosis or no eating disorder diagnosis.  The sample had 30 people with either anorexia or bulimia. This specific study didn’t test any people with other types of eating disorders.  Then 16 people that didn’t need eating disorder help acted as a control group.

The actual study involved subjects pressing a button every time they saw a letter, except for the letter “x.”  This required the subjects to show restraint by not pressing the button.  While the subjects did this the researchers scanned their brain with an fMRI.  They found that subjects with bulimia had to use more brain power in order to not press the button when they saw the letter “x.”

These findings lead the researchers to believe that eating disorder treatment methods should be changed.  Since a person with anorexia proved to have more anxiety it may be beneficial to focus more on the anxiety during treatment.  Then, for a person with bulimia it would be good to treat their impulsive tendencies to help them overcome the eating disorder.  It’s a way of personalizing the treatment to help the person overcome an eating disorder.

The difficulty with changing anorexia or bulimia treatment based on a new study is the results aren’t enough.  One study isn’t enough to completely change the approach of an eating disorder treatment program.  Another study that studied brain activity showed some different results.  However, the amount of subjects and the ages of the subjects were very different from the first study.

Avalon Hills supports all of the ongoing research in the field. The Academy of Eating Disorders and the National Eating Disorder Association are great resources for those that may have questions regarding eating disorder treatment and how research is developing in the field.